Thoughts
by JaguarTheRavenclawRainWing
Summary: A collection of one-shots from the perspective of various minor characters from Wings of Fire.
1. Reed

**REED**

Another day. Another battle.

Another chance for Umber to die.

For Sora to die.

For Marsh.

For Pheasant.

Like Crane did.

Another chance for a SandWing to stab one of them, or for an IceWing to breathe frostbreath on them, or for a SeaWing to bite them. Or even for them to get in the way of a SkyWing, or another MudWing. There are too many ways for them to die.

And that would be it. They would be gone, forever. Their friendly presence would disappear from my life, and suddenly it would be incomplete. Even more so than now, without Crane.

And what could I do about it? Nothing.

And what could my remaining sibs do about it? Nothing.

And what could even Queen Moorhen do about it? Nothing.

We are trapped in this war, locked in a deadly tussle where each dragon will kill at any opportunity, just to save their own lives, and the lives of their sibs, and their friends. Where each queen uses it as an excuse to try to eradicate the other tribes. Because we know that's what they're doing. Even Queen Moorhen would feel more comfortable if the other tribes didn't exist.

Hundreds of dragons dying, all for three uncaring princesses. Burn, Blister, Blaze. What did they do to be worthy of it? None of _them_ are fighting. None of _them_ are risking their lives every day.

We may fight for Burn, but she is killing us, _burning_ us, every second we are forced to fight. She does not care.

She cares nothing about us, about our lives and our hopes and our dreams and our loves and our cares and our thoughts.

Why is she worthy? What has she done, to earn the right to kill my sibs, my tribe, and so many others? What is she to the MudWings? What has she done to help us?

Nothing.

She has done nothing.


	2. Hvitur

**HVITUR**

I creep through the SkyWing palace. Silence.

Eyes sweeping from side to side, alert for guards, searching for the hatchery. I don't want to take an egg, to put its parents through the suffering and grief, but I must. It's for the prophecy.

A guard there. I dodge the other way. Everything will go to waste if I fail. The dragonets won't be able to end the war. The fighting will go on forever. I don't want that, especially not if it's my fault.

Round a corner, down a corridor. Dragons will die every day, as they do now. Like my sister. Floe. Gone.

Up some stairs. I saw her murdered by a SandWing. That was the last straw, why I joined the Talons of Peace. I am the last of my family. Teased for having nightmares after I saw my sister die. Accused of being a foolish, sentimental MudWing. I left. No-one missed a dragon not even in the Circles.

Down some stairs – there! One guard at the door, but I slip past easily – he's half asleep. SkyWings are not attentive, even when it's not the middle of the night. Inside, scores of eggs await, but only half a dozen about to hatch. The lines of the prophecy run through my head. _"The largest egg in the mountain high, shall give to you the wings of sky."_ I carefully select the biggest egg. This is the wings of sky. I'm holding it in my talons right now. It doesn't seem real.

I slip back out, still unnoticed. The egg-shell is almost transparent because it's so close to hatching, I can tell the dragonet is male. He'll be called Andesine. My choice, because I retrieved him.

Through corridors and out of the palace. I launch and fly low, but swiftly. I still cannot afford to be seen.

I can do this, we are almost at the cave, almost at safety. We will make it.

Except for the fact that there are SandWings there. They are close enough for me to see their faces, and one of the faces belongs to Burn. I know I am going to die, for no-one escapes Burn, and I realise I have condemned an innocent dragonet to death. I have failed. What will happen to the prophecy now ?How can it succeed without the wings of sky? Will it be my fault that the war continues endlessly?

I hope not. I really hope not.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! I have a few chapters written for this, and a couple more ideas, but if there's a dragon you want to see, please tell me.**


	3. Vermilion

**VERMILION**

It's a strange feeling when everything you thought you knew disappears.

When your mother is missing, presumed dead, and the entire kingdom changes, because your sister, the only heir left alive, has very different beliefs.

When you realise that almost everything you attached to being queen was actually just your mother. Like arena fights to the death. Like mock trials, where every defendant is convicted and sentenced to death, and their defence can't even put up a decent fight for fear of the same punishment. Like using prisoners as playthings. Like living constantly in fear.

All of that was just my mother.

Queen Ruby. A name no sane SkyWing ever _really_ thought they would hear.

Scarlet is no more.

My mother is dead. My oppressive, tyrannical, bloodthirsty, "thrilling" mother is gone forever.

I don't even know how I feel. I will never have to announce another arena fight. While I did it, I thought I enjoyed it. I thought it was good. Now – I don't know. The fights were – wrong.

Ruby's life is safe – well, safer. No queen is ever truly safe. Those things are both good. I think.

Ruby is already a strong leader. She trusts me more than Scarlet ever did, despite me obeying Scarlet in everything. Still good.

But… Scarlet was my mother. Not a perfect mother by any means, but the only one I ever had. Ok, so I was really brought up by my sisters, Rockfall and Crimson. Both later killed by my mother after foolishly challenging her. Then I had to bring up Hawk, Tourmaline and Burgundy when I was far too young. Maybe she was intolerant of all dragonets, maybe she enjoyed watching lesser dragons fight to the death. Maybe the kingdom will be recovering from her reign for years.

She was still my mother.

Now she's gone.

Some dragons whisper that she's still alive, that one day she will come back and punish us all. And it's half true. Her presence is still here, watching us all. Every dragon is constantly looking over their shoulder, watching in fear, unable to forget.

Except Ruby. Ruby is completely different. It's as if there was a whole other dragon hiding inside her all along, a brilliant queen and a loving sister, and now she's let it out.

And, frankly, this new Ruby is a better queen than Scarlet.

I don't want my mother to come back.


	4. Tundra

**TUNDRA**

When I married Narwhal, I didn't care how difficult it would be to bear the burden of the royal family. Nor did I care how difficult our dragonets might be. I loved Narwhal truly.

And two of our dragonets have always been fine – until now. Hailstorm has been top of the rankings for most of his life. Except now he isn't. That is the fault of Winter, the one who isn't fine. The not-fine one. Icicle used to be as good as Hailstorm, but now she has dropped to the bottom of the rankings. By some accounts, that was Winter too. Winter was the failure, but he tried. He tried so hard.

Like I tried to be a good IceWing mother. I failed too. Tomorrow, three dragonets become two. One male and one female. One honoured and one frowned upon. Just enough to keep Narwhal and me in the Second Circle. Tomorrow, Winter and Hailstorm will fight to the death in the Diamond Trial, in a plan to get Hailstorm back to the top before he turns seven. A plan of my husband's. He calls it tough love. I wish it were not necessary.

Maybe if I had been harder on him, it would not be.

No. I cannot think about maybes.

Because even though I have to be strict and disciplined, and distanced, even though I am hard on him, like any good IceWing mother must be, even though he can never know, I love Winter. I love both my sons. I do not want them to die.

But I will mask my dismay. I will do as any IceWing should. I cannot, will not let my emotions break me, even as I watch my son marching to his death, believing that I do not care. I must be strong. I will be strong. I will be IceWing.


	5. Secretkeeper

**SECRETKEEPER**

When I was younger, I used to kid myself that Morrowseer loved me. I certainly loved him, but what in Pyrrhia could he possibly have seen in me? I was just one of the insignificant, lowly NightWings, more worried than most, with only a few connections and friends. He was the famous powerful NightWing, close advisor to the queen, saviour of the tribe by means of the prophecy, exempt from the hunting rota.

I told myself that he saw something special in me, that he honestly loved me, chose me, out of all the dragons in the tribe. I think maybe the signs were there all along, that he didn't, but I chose to ignore them, because I loved him.

Then, one day, not too long after I hid Moonwatcher in the rainforest, he told me.

He told me that he didn't really love me.

He told me that he was only with me because one of Mastermind's tests had thrown me up as a dragon likely to have a surviving dragonet.

He told me that, because my egg had been cracked, he was leaving me.

My heart broke. My world shattered. It felt like my life was over.

But I still loved him. I kept away, pretended I didn't care, but I still loved him. I spent all the time I could with Moonwatcher, because she had his snout, his smile, his ears. She took his good looks and made them cute, adorable even. I wish I'd told him when I hid her. Or just not hidden her. Then none of this would have happened. I could keep thinking that he honestly loved me. But that isn't what happened.

Then suddenly he died. The volcano exploded and he didn't get off in time.

Everyone else started a new life in the rainforest, but he couldn't. He was dead. That was the sole downside of a new home. No Morrowseer.

I could eat as much as I wanted for the first time in my life. I could finally introduce Moon to her tribe and give her my full attention. But I couldn't give her a father. I never told her anything about him, not even his name. It's still too painful.

Maybe it's wrong, but I loved Morrowseer, and I miss him.


	6. Albatross

**ALBATROSS**

Dragons do not remember me kindly.

Why should they? I killed my sister, my daughter, my son, my niece – for what?

Nothing. I was insane.

I am glad Fathom killed me.

 _I_ _murdered nine dragons_. That was unforgivable. In death, I can see all the places I went wrong. The choices that led to the murders. The different paths I could have taken.

Mostly it was my animus power, driving me mad, telling me I could have power, telling me all those dragons were nothing.

But some of it was my losses. A large part of me died with my beautiful Marine. I missed my parents terribly. My mother was killed by Lagoon when I was only eight and my father died only two years after that. Even what I did to Sapphire hurt me terribly.

My power took those and twisted them. It made me believe everything was the fault of Lagoon and Fathom – and anyone else who dared stand in my way.

It was wrong. I was wrong.

I deserve to be remembered as the villain in Fathom's story.

When I look back, I can see I treated him badly all his life. My gift, my power, my _curse_ , was working on me for that long. I wish things could have been different. I wish he could have known the real me, and I wish I could have known him without the anger and jealousy clouding my view.

All those spells – the conch shell, the musicians' instruments, the fountain, Lagoon's crown, her necklace, all the jewellery I gave to my wife, and more – and most especially the palace. What a mistake. What a waste.

Nine dragons.

My daughter and her husband, Manta and Reef. The ones who tried to talk to me, and stop me peacefully.

My son and my grandson, Eel and Scallop. The ones always laughing together, as close as a father and son could possibly be.

My brother in law, King Humpback. The one whose only crime was to be associated with my sister.

My niece, Princess Splash. The one who was brave enough to try and fight me.

The SkyWing ambassador, Sunset. The young, optimistic SkyWing who was only in the kingdom for one day.

Dolphin, the poor musician who just happened to be in the way. She didn't do anything to me.

My sister, Queen Lagoon.

I don't deserve to be remembered kindly.


	7. Orchid

**ORCHID**

I don't like being trapped here. No sane dragon would.

It's horrible, being in a dark cave away from the sunlight, and the trees, and the other RainWings, and the fruit. It's horrible being forced to use our venom, being tied up all the time and not even being able to talk. It's horrible.

All they give us to eat here is disgusting, rotting, _animals_. Who would eat things that have been alive? Once they tried to give me a sloth. I refused to eat that. I can hardly bear to eat the other things they bring, but who could possibly eat a sloth? NightWings, evidently. I miss the fruits from the rainforest.

But the thing I miss most of all is Mangrove. He must be missing me as well. At least, I hope he is. There are days when I worry that he isn't, that maybe he's just forgotten me and moved on. But he wouldn't do that… would he?

I don't know how long I've been here. For all I know, he could have given up by now. I don't know where I am or how I got here, so how can I expect him to find me? I can't, not really.

My scales are always blue and grey now. The colours of sadness and despair. I can hardly remember what it felt like in the days when they were colourful and bright and different every day.

I'm going to be stuck here, probably until I die. Three RainWings have already starved to death. Kinkajou told me. She is young and her wings are not bound, so she can fly from one cave to another. She can bring the rest of us news about what is happening in the other caves, but it is always bad news. Tapir is dead. They are experimenting on Gibbon again. Bright is dead. Orangutan is dead. Nothing good ever happens. Her visits are a break from the monotony, but I dread them just the same, in case there is more bad news.

The NightWings will never let us out, will they? They don't want us going back to the rainforest and telling our tribe how they treated us.

Why do they need us anyway? Why do they need us to sit in chains doing nothing for days on end, then every so often spit our venom? What is it achieving? They don't collect it, they don't use it, they just watch it and make infinite small marks on a scroll. What is the point?

They're never going to let us go.

We're here for life.


	8. Lynx

**LYNX**

I'm sitting in my room in the palace, looking out of the window. Watching. Waiting. Because soon, eleven of the twelve who left will return from the Diamond Caves. One will be dead. Either Prince Winter or Prince Hailstorm. It seems like the entire tribe is doing the same – well they would be. The Diamond Trial is something an IceWing will only see once in their lifetime – if that.

Most of them aren't about to lose their one of their closest friends though. Winter isn't a typical IceWing, but he means well and this isn't fair. There's no way in Pyrrhia he can beat Hailstorm. Hailstorm's two years older than him and he's been top of the rankings for most of his life.

This isn't a test, or a trial, it's an execution. No-one knows what the Diamond Trial is, but only one dragonet can survive it and that will be Hailstorm. Winter just doesn't have a chance, and there isn't even anything I can do. Hailstorm was top of the rankings for as long as I can remember, until the SkyWings captured him. Winter wasn't. Winter was in the Fifth Circle, Sixth Circle.

Winter, my friend, is going to die. By the talon of his own brother.

My brain scrabbles for some way that Winter can win. Maybe… maybe Hailstorm has got out of practice while he was missing. (We still don't know what actually happened to him. There are rumours, saying weird stuff like he was turned into a SkyWing or something, but they can't be true.) But I've seen him training since, and he might be a little, but not enough.

Maybe Winter learnt some stunning new technique at Jade Mountain Academy. But no, I trained with him since, and he hasn't. Not unless he was hiding it, and why would he do that? Winter wouldn't do that.

I don't want Hailstorm to die either. When I was two or so, he was my idol. I got to know him a little bit, and I got over the idol stage, and he was a nice enough dragon. I was never as close to him as I was to Winter though.

Winter's the one who has to survive. He has to.

Suddenly I can see the party of dragons. They wing closer, and I can see the individual shapes – only eleven of them now, obviously. Which one is missing? Which brother? Winter or Hailstorm?

Winter or Hailstorm?

Closer still, and I can see the face of Hailstorm, flying determinedly with a blank face at the head of the pack.


End file.
